EscaGundam
by BatBarnes and Elf the Dynamic
Summary: First part of a MEGA Crossover with Gundam Wing. They thought that Zaibach was dead. They were WRONG!
1. Default Chapter Title

_**Disclaimer: **_We do not own _Gundam Wing _or _Escaflowne._ So, don't sue us because we are both broke and have no money. Just homicidal tendencies. :l   
  


_**Author's Notes: **_Here is the beginning of EscaGundam, and my first real attempt at a fanfic, so be nice, or face the wrath of an Evangelion.   
  


_**EscaGundam: War Returns to Fanelia**_

**_By: BatBarnes_**   
  


The sky of Gaea had turned dark that day. It reflected the feelings of the young king perfectly. He walked in silence and alone, never letting the royal guards ever follow him on a walk such as this. The king walked on through the courtyard of the newly rebuilt Castle of Fanelia. He watched as the knights and footmen tended to preparing the guymelefs and heavy weapons for the coming rain. He looked at one man in particular. Allen Schezar gave him a nod and went on with his work.   
  


Van Fanel, king of Fanelia, once pilot of the mystical Ispano guymelef Escaflowne, and hero of the War of Zaibach, continued outside the castle walls. He had been on this walk several times before, and never returned satisfied. Yet he still made this painful journey into the woods that surrounded Fanelia. The path was well known and marked by his own footsteps.   
  


As he approached his destination, he grabbed at his necklace. It was given to him by his true love, Hitome. He had never even really known her last name, but he would never forget her. The love that bound them was forever, and that was one of Van's true pleasures. It had both separated and brought him closer to Allen, his First Knight. During the war with Zaibach, it seemed that they were secretly competing over Hitome. When she and Van had finally realized their true love, it had caused a force that no one could stop, not even the ruler of Zaibach and his fate-alteration machine. Allen now had Millerna, and seemed to be happy.   
  


Van looked through the wooded landscape to see a familiar sight. It brought back mixed feelings, because it had nearly been the death of him, but also saved more than he could imagine. Escaflowne's majestic form was still in its crouched state from when he had removed the energist on the day Hitome left. It rested next to his destination: his brother's grave.   
  


Van felt the normal upwelling of conflicting emotions. He had hated his brother for most of the war, but he found out that they might have been on the same side. He had intended to have a thorough talk with him after the final battlebut it was not to be. Van drew his sword, the sword that had the royal seal of Fanelia engraved into it. He fell to one knee and buried the sword with the symbol facing the grave. It made a metallic chink, but offered no resistance to entering the ground.   
  


Van had felt his brother's death, even from many kilometers away. He remembered it all to well. He had been fighting a Zaibach soldier and felt it hit him with more force than a sword could ever do. He had visions of his brother taking care of him when he was but a child. He remembered his brother's laugh and his warm smile. In his anguish, Van had gone into a rage on the battlefield.   
  


The wind caught his hair and drew out a tear. He could not find the emotion to express. Folken was a coward!! He had failed the dragon-slaying test, and ran away. However, Van could still feel his love, even when they fought. He could not forget the care his brother had shown him as a child. He had also learned the secrets of the dragons. How could he still be called a coward?   
  


"Brotherplease tell me please" was all Van could manage. There was a way but he forbade it. Hitome's necklace could grant him the power to talk to his brother, even beyond the grave. The repercussions, however could be horrible indeed. When Hitome had inadvertently used it to depict the future she thought she was getting from torrot cards, terrible things happened. People lost their lives, and the war continued on strong.   
  


Van spent several hours there, and the rain began to fall on him. He stood up and put his face into the wind. The rain was the harsh reality, he knew. He would never be able to figure out these feelings while he was alive on Gaea. This was the truth and he had to face it. Allen had taught him that he must be confident in order to lead is nation. Van grabbed the sword, and turned around. He took a final look at Escaflowne, noticing how lifeless it looked without the red energist in it's heart. He ran his hand over it's cold armor and then started back to the castle.   
  


He emerged from the woods to find a companion waiting for him. She had a shield over her head and carried another for Van. "You really shouldn't stay out in the rain, Lord Van," she said with concern in her big eyes.   
  


"Thanks Merle. I know that, but it feels better that way," Van said with a warm smile. Merle threw a coat over the young king and walked back with him. Van knew that he had hurt her badly when he fell in love with Hitome, but she knew it was unavoidable. She was still his constant companion, but Van had noticed a distance that she now kept between them. Another regret   
  


*-* 

"There have been reports of rebuilding in the center of Zaibach, I fear this could mean that they plan to achieve their once status," stated Lance Zromdon, the head of the scouting division. "Reports are sketchy, but there have been confirmed reports of at least one division on Samurai-Class guymelefs operating in that region." 

"This is hardly worth our taking an expedition out to attack them on their own territory!" Allen replied. "We are hardly in the state where we should be finding battles with no reason. Our guymelef forces are at a mere 25% of what is needed to defend this nation. We are lucky that we are allies with the nations around us, because we would look the enticing target."   
  


"I cannot agree Allen." That was Sephorim Marduke, the commander of the ground forces. "The guymelefs may be lacking, but we have ample amount of footmen that could take on this task. Even enough that we wouldn't need your guymelefs at all. How does that suit you?"   
  


Van braced himself. "What are you insinuating?? That we send out people with a guaranteed high causality rate?? Is that it? Surely you cannot mean this!" Allen had both fists on the table and was standing in his chair.   
  


"Certainly not, but maybe this would convince you to maybe spare us commoners a few of your precious suits." Sephorim stated calmly.   
  


Allen began to reply, but Van stopped him. "Sephorim, you know as well as I that we cannot afford such an operation. We will however take this development into consideration. Allen, I will need you to speed up the construction of guymelefs. I know this will not be easy, but I see no other choice. As for you Sephorim, I give you permission to put your troops on standby for action and to keep them on alert status, but we will not attack as of yet. I will confer with the other nations. That is all."   
  


Allen looked slightly relieved, and even Sephorim did not have quite as large a frown as normal. He had not known Sephorim, except that he had fought in the war with Zaibach. Sephorim had keen tactics and an expert knowledge of battle tactics, but was sometimes willing to wager too much. It was Dryden's suggestion that put Sephorim in his command, and although Van halfway trusted Dryden, he asked Allen before he approved. Allen had said that Sephorim was a bit brutal, but not a bad choice for a leader. Eating these word now, aren't we Allen? Van had to smile and walked out of the war room. 

*-* 

Van awoke in a pool of sweat. He was immediately awake and he didn't know why. He looked down and saw that Hitome's necklace was glowing. What could it mean? Then Van heard a sound that made his blood freeze. A Zaibach airship's engines could be heard just faintly. Van grabbed his sword and armor, his eyes wide with terror.   
  


He reached the courtyard, where he saw the tower guards slump over with arrows in their backs. Van immediately flicked the switch next to his thumb. In a series of metal chinks, a shield was formed around his arm from its wrist deployer. Van had his sword in a front stance and proceeded very carefully.   
  


I gotta reach the alarm!! Van could yell, but would open himself up for the assassins that were sure to be hiding nearby. There was a rustle behind him. He brought his shield around to deflect a deadly swift sword strike from his blind spot. The attacker seemed surprised and Van took advantage of this by making a precision strike to the man's throat. Less noise and all that more painful   
  


Van ran stealthily away from his kill, because the sound of the sword hitting his shield was sure to bring unwanted attention. Sure enough, several arrows could be heard whistling through the air. This darkness can be used against you bastards as well. Van entered the guard tower and immediately pinned his back to the wall. He stopped his breathing to listen for the attack   
  


From the left!!!!! Van spun to the right to avoid an overhead slash and brought the sword of Fanelia to connect to the middle of the attacker's skull. He unlodged it and headed up the stairs very slowly. If only the castle's defenses had been fully completed! As it was, the only central alarm was at the top of this watchtower. Again, Van stopped to listen. Nothing. He got to the top of the tower as fast as he could. He crawled on the ground as not to expose himself and hit the alarm bell as hard as he could. Now it's begun. 

*-* 

The remaining assassins had been dealt with quickly, but Van knew the true danger had yet to come. "Allen!! Get your troops ready, I fear the guymelefs are on their way!" Allen nodded as he ran to the hanger, where Gaddys had already prepped the Schezard for battle. Van ran to his stateroom and opened the chest in the corner. He extracted the dragon's heart he had fought for so long ago.   
  


Van ran back to his brother's grave. There were no feelings of sorrow this time. He had a nation to protect, and he needed the help of an old friend He reached Escaflowne just as the engines of the Samurai guymelefs could be heard over-head. Van replaced the energist into Escaflowne's heart and the cockpit opened. "I am sorry, Hitome."   
  


Van jumped in the cockpit and let the gears and straps adjust to him. He put his hands into the grips and tested the arms. Once he was settle he drew the Escaflowne's sword and charged out of the forest. He saw the first of the Samurais land and moved to attack. The lead Samurai pointed its spread launcher at Van and fired its deadly spear-threads. Van used Escaflowne's sword to parry the attack and rammed the Samurai with its shoulder. The Samurai fell to the ground, and Van pierced it's energist with his sword. The Samurai flared up into the familiar blue fire and was no more.   
  


The other two Samurai charged Van and used their spread launchers to create swords of their own. Van brought up his sword to defend himself when the Schezard burst through the trees to slice one in half. The other seemed to be distracted and didn't even try to defend Van's crushing blow to the canopy, which killed the pilot instantly. Van looked for the next enemy and saw plenty. To his horror, hundreds of guymelefs could be seen approaching.   
  


"How did they reorganize so quickly??" Van yelled in the mic. 

"I have no idea, Van, but we're totally outnumbered. I hate to say it, but we must retreat," replyed Allen. 

Nonot againIcan'tnot again. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Van screamed. He didn't even notice Hitome's necklace glowing. Or the tunnel of light coming from the sky   
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

_**Disclaimer: **_We do not own _Gundam Wing _or _Escaflowne._ So, don't sue us because we are both broke and have no money. Just homicidal tendencies. :l   
  


_**Author's Notes: **_To my coauthor, Lee, as well as Bessana and Marce. _Vielen Dank!_ See Lee, I do know a smidgen of German!   
  
  
  


**____****EscaGundam: The Glowing Orb**

**By: Elf__**   
  


Duo Maxwell stood on top of the huge pile of scrap just delivered to his yard. His yard. He owned it, not stole it, it was _his_, stock, lock, and junk. He had a natural talent to salvaging things and it was fun. A nice change from being the God of Death.   
  


He wouldn't admit it to Hilde, and he had trouble admitting it to himself, but he missed being a Gundam pilot. Missed the thrill, the challenge, and the power. He didn't miss the endless death though.   
  


For a very long time, he had thought that Death, with a capital D, was attracted to him. Everything had died around him from Solo to Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. Then an old man with a huge nose and a funky hair cut had found him. Professor G.   
  


The good Professor had seen something in the young waif with the long braid. He had seen a good pilot and someone with a natural talent for stealth. Duo knew that he was good at being unnoticed when he wanted to, but that was why he went so out of the way to be noticed. He wanted to be seen, wanted to be heard, wanted to be counted.   
  


Shaking his hair out of his eyes, he peered down at the pile of scrap beneath him. He asked himself, "So, what do we got here?" He noticed something red and glowing within the darkened neo-titanium.   
  


"The hell?" he asked as he dug into the sharp metal. He grunted as shards of the metal cut his hand. He wasn't Heero who could go in and out of battle with more than two hundred broken bones and fix his own broken leg.   
  


Duo was still having nightmares from that one.   
  


His fingers wrapped around a warm object. Closing his eyes, grunting, and feeling his way through it, he pulled out the thing. Opening his eyes, he studied it. It was about the size of his fist, glowing a bright red, like a gem of some sort, but with some energy in it. He sat thoughtfully on the junk pile, studying it.   
  


"Hey Duo!" a cheerful, female voice called out as he looked up. A tiny, pixie-like girl with short, cropped, jet black hair and brilliant blue eyes ran toward him. He smiled at her and showed her the object.   
  


He leaned back on one hand and said, "Hey Hilde, whata think about this?"   
  
  
  


Hilde bent down, her blue eyes narrowing as she studied it. She answered, "I don't know, Duo."   
  


He tossed the object from one hand to another with his casual grace. He said, "Well, I don't either. So, maybe I'll let the scanner give this sucker a rundown and see what the hell it is."   
  


She watched him as he tossed it. She said, "It's beautiful, though." He looked at her, studied her gamine features and thought, _So are you. _He didn't say it though. He really didn't know where he stood with Hilde.   
  


Sure, they were business partners, and she had risked her life to give them information on Libra, but he didn't know how she felt about him. It was obvious that Relena loved Heero, and he loved her right back, just Mr. Perfect Solder wouldn't admit it. Duo loved Hilde, he knew that for a fact, but . . .   
  


"You okay, Duo?" Hilde asked him, reaching out and touching his shoulder.   
  


Duo blinked strands of his chestnut hair out of his eyes as he looked at her. She smiled slightly, revealing one dimple in her left cheek. The thing really started to glow. He blinked as he looked down at it. He stopped tossing it and simply held it as it glowed a bright pink.   
  


He nodded and answered, "Yeah, baby, I'm good." With that, he stood up and began to climb down the junk pile. He looked up to see her nimbly following him on his way down.   
  


He was going to have this sucker scanned, ASAP.   
  


****** 

Nursing a heavily sweetened cup of coffee, Duo walked back into the records' room. The computer was still scanning the red object that was glowing faintly. He yawned and stretched as he walked over to the computer console.   
  


He sat down and popped up the readings on the object. He took a drink of his coffee as he read what it had scanned. He read out loud, "Organic in nature. Made up heavily of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen with trace elements of iron, calcium, and magnesium." He glared at the screen and snapped, "That tells me shit. Why the hell is it glowing?"   
  


The computer was silent, casting a blue glow on his face. Duo groaned and said, "Okay, you _suck._ I think I might have to visit an old friend." The Deathscythe pilot stood up with a grin as he shut the computer off. He took the gem-like object in his hands and began to toss it around gracefully.   
  


He walked silently to the hanger. He grinned as he saw Deathscythe HELL's dormant form looming in the back ground. He leaned against the door as he shut it, still managing to toss the object back and forth in his hands. He said, "Hello old buddy. I've got a favor to ask you."   
  


He walked on the catwalk, humming slightly as he did. He opened up the cockpit and sat down in HELL's familar controls. He sighed and he felt like a part of him was saying, _You're home, Duo. Welcome back, ole buddy._ He gazed around at the various levers and control pannels with an almost manic gleam in his eyes.   
  


He smiled as he began to turn on Deathscythe HELL's systems. He chuckled as the eyes glowed a bright green in the mobile suit's face. He had the urge to say, "The God of Death is back from Hell." But The God of Death wasn't needed now after Relena Peacecraft's total pacifsim ruling. Duo felt sorta absoulete at that.   
  


He said, "Well old buddy, I didn't forget you, and I know this is way below your power, but could ya tell me what the hell is this and why the hell is it glowing." He placed the glowing object in the sensor.   
  


It started to glow a brighter red as the green lazer grid wrapped around the object. He told it, "You're gonna reveal all your secrets to me, baby."   
  


He read the results. "What the fuck?" he cursed in frustration. He crossed his arms and glared at the sensor. He snapped, "The same damn thing. Why the hell is it glowing?" He grunted as he began to shut Deathscythe HELL down.   
  


He picked up the glowing red gem and looked at the Gundam. He said, "Well, see ya later." He looked down at the object and cursed, "You're damn annoying, and you know how bad that is when I'm saying that?" It started to dim. Duo snorted at it and snapped, "Whatever." He closed up the Gundam and exited the hanger.   
  


He walked back into the record's room. He placed the offending object on the table. He said, "I'll look at ya tommorow. And you better tell me why the hell you are glowing." With that, he retreated to bed.   
  


****** 

Duo woke up the next morning. He wasn't a morning person by any streach of the word. He liked night much better, so in the morning, before he got any caffinee in his system, he wasn't a pleasant person to be around.   
  


Hilde, knew of this, and was already prepaired with fresh coffee and breakfast. He stumbled to the chair at the kitchen table and looked up at her. She shook her head as she placed a plate of toast and eggs infront of him as well as a cup of black coffee.   
  


The first cup of coffee in the morning was always black to get him from his zombie-like stage. He drank it down, whinching at the bitter taste. Hilde sat down beside him, her drink of choice was juice. How could anyone survive without caffinee was beyond Duo as he began to eat.   
  


She asked, "Did you find out what that thing was?"   
  


"No," he grumbled in a frustrated tone between bites of eggs and toast. He said, "The damn thing is reading as organic. Why? I don't have a damn clue, but it is. Why is it glowing? Not another damn clue. How did it get here? Another damn clue I don't have. It's more puzzling than Heero." He pushed some eggs around his plate with his fork.   
  


Hilde reached up and touched his shoulder. She said, "Duo, if anyone can find out what this thing is . . ."   
  


"Heero!" Duo realized with sudden clarity, standing up. If anyone could find out what the glowing thing was it was the Perfect Soldier, Heero Yuy. He grinned at Hilde and said, "Yeah, I'll just get Heero to find out what the hell this thing is."   
  


Hilde smiled and replied, "I was thinking that it would be you, Duo Maxwell. Besides, how would you find Heero?"   
  


Duo looked at her. _Damn, the block to all of my carefully laid plans. Thank you very much, Hilde, _he thought as he looked at her pixie face. She rested her chin on her palm as she smiled at him. He blinked and answered, "Well, I could ask the other Gundam pilots and Relena!" He smiled. His plan starting to form again. He went on, "And I could signal his Gundam through mine, if I need it to! Yeah! I'm pretty damn good."   
  


He rushed out of the kitchen only to hear Hilde's laugh echoing after him.   
  


****** 

Duo cracked his knuckles before he sat down at his console. He turned on his computer and said to himself, "Okay, other than me, who would Heero contact?" He snapped his fingers as the realization dawned on him, "Trowa."   
  


Heero and Trowa fought together in those two suits that the scientists had made for OZ to delay their and the pilots' deaths and to make cover as they rebuilt Gundams Deathscythe and Shenlong. And Trowa was the one who helped Heero recover after he self-detinated. So, the first person he was going to call was Trowa.   
  


He didn't know Trowa's e-mail address, but he did know how to contact the circus that Trowa worked at. He waited for a moment before the face of a pretty girl with curly auburn hair and pale purple eyes came on the screen. She said, "Hi, my name's Catharine, how can I help you?"   
  


Duo answered, "Sure can, I'd like to talk to Trowa Barton. If you would be so kind, pretty lady." Hey, just because he was in love with Hilde didn't mean that he couldn't flirt.   
  


She studied him for a moment and asked, "Duo Maxwell?"   
  


"The one and only," Duo answered as he kicked his heels up on the table. He leaned back on his chair as he looked at Catharine. Then a sudden realization came to him that she may be thinking that Trowa was going to be called into battle.   
  
  
  


Duo shook his head and said, "Hey, Catharine, Trowa's not gonna go on a mission or anything, I just need to ask him a question."   
  


She sighed, her relief visible. She smiled kindly and said, "Well, I'll go get Trowa then. Hang on."   
  


"Sure will," he replied, grabbing the desk and holding onto it, making her chuckle. As she walked away, giving Duo a view of a busy circus, he let go of the desk and leaned back in the chair again. He watched a person exercising an elephant as he waited for the Heavyarms pilot.   
  


Trowa walked up to the screen, a shock of his golden brown hair still covering one side of his face. The eye that was visible was an intense, dark green as he looked Duo over. His quiet voice asked, "What do you need Duo?"   
  


_Just like Heero, getting down to business, _Duo thought as he looked at the slender pilot. He answered, "Okay, have you seen Heero?"   
  


"Not recently," Trowa said, crossing his arms as he watched Duo. Duo shifted under the scrutiny. All the pilots except him had some sort of sophisticated training other than the training that they each had as a pilot. Duo was just a piece of street trash calling himself the God of Death and was unpredictable as hell.   
  


A strategist such as Trowa would seriously disapprove of Duo's random methods of attack. He snuck in and caused as much chaous as he could before he escaped. It was as simple as that while Trowa had everything planned out in his head before hand.   
  


There was also the fact that Trowa publicly destroied Deathscythe. That would seriously dampen a person's oppinon of someone, Duo thought as he watched Trowa. The graceful pilot tilted his head so, for a brief moment, both dark green eyes were visable.   
  


Trowa asked, "Why are you asking?"   
  


Duo reached over and picked up the glowing orb. He tossed it back and forth in his hands as he answered, "This. It's organic, but why the hell is it glowing?"   
  


"You ran diagnostics on it?" Trowa asked him.   
  


Duo glared for a moment before huffing, "Yeah, what kind of idiot do you take me for?" Trowa smirked. Duo glared back and added, "And don't even answer that, Trowa. Yeah, I even scanned this thing in HELL."   
  


Trowa shrugged and replied, "Then you have a better idea than I do. Try Relena."   
  


Duo nodded and said, "Yeah, if anyone's seen Heero, then its gotta be Relena. Thanks man, I'll let you go now."   
  


Trowa nodded as the communication signed off. Duo grumbled, "Left without even saying good bye. So, I guess I'll try Relena next."   
  


Getting hold of Vice Minister Darlain was much harder than getting hold of Trowa. First, he had contacted a secretary, then he had contacted some old dude that looked vaguely familiar from when Relena trailed after Heero, then Noin, which he wasn't complaining because Noin registered on the hot category, and, finally, hold. So, he was watching some footage of an orchestra performance on the screen while he was on hold. Some classic music, sounded like Mozart or something like that.   
  


Classical music wasn't Duo's thing. Well, unless it consisted of the heavy metal bands of the 21st century. He had drove Father Maxwell up the wall one time while listening to Metalica. Of course, the Blue Oyster Cult had a soft spot in his heart as well for one particular song that was pretty damn obvious.   
  


Still, he was stuck, listening to something that Quatre had played before, board out of his mind. So, he picked up the object and started tossing it again. He had noticed that he liked doing that. The red glow moved as he tossed it from one hand to another.   
  


Pretty soon, Relena's lovely face came on screen. Duo could see why Heero was in love with her. After all, she was beautiful with long, dark blond hair and cornflower blue eyes and she had this inner strength to her that came out during political events. Just the semi-stalking thing was creepy and her total pacifism annoyed him.   
  


Live on the streets long enough and you'd find out that there is no such thing as total peace.   
  


Relena smiled brightly and said, "Hello, Duo. It's good to see you. How's Hilde?"   
  


Duo grinned and answered, "She's fine, pretty lady. She recovered from Libra just nicely. She's doing great. So, how are you?"   
  


She laughed and answered, "Busy Duo, very busy. So, how are you?"   
  


"I'm great," Duo said, tossing the orb around.   
  


Relena studied the crimson, glowing orb. She said, "That's beautiful, what is it?"   
  


Duo smirked and answered, "I'm not sure. That's why I called."   
  


"Well, I've never seen anything like it before," Relena stated, studying the object.   
  


Duo chuckled as he replied, "Nope, I was just asking if you've seen Heero."   
  


She shook her head, the cheer in her expression dimming. She answered, "No, not since he gave me the teddy bear."   
  


"Aww, that's so sweet," Duo teased.   
  


She glared at him and said, "You're incorrigible, Duo Maxwell."   
  


"Among other things," Duo smirked, leaning back in his chair, tossing his braid off his shoulder.   
  


She sighed and said, "Well, it was nice talking to you again, Duo. I have to go."   
  


"Ah, the pressures of politics," Duo smirked as he waved at her, "Bye, Relena."   
  


"Good bye, Duo," she told him with a smile as the line shut off.   
  


Duo sighed and said, "Okay, Relena, Trowa, no shows. Where the hell could he be? Heero Yuy, you're damn hard to find."   
  


"That's sort of the whole point, isn't it?" a familiar voice asked him.   
  


Duo spun around and shouted, "Shit!" Heero Yuy stood at the door way. Heero stood with the contained leathalness of some sort of jungle cat. He wore his ususal dark-green tank top, but had ditched the spandex shorts for jeans. His unruly, dark brown hair still hung in his intense, dark blue eyes. His face was an emotionless mask as he studied the glowing orb in Duo's hands.   
  


Duo sprang up out of his chair and ran to his friend. He said, "Damn it, Heero, how the hell did you get here? And did you know that I was looking for you?"   
  


Heero answered, "I'm checking on the pilots right now, seeing if they have found anything suspicious, and, no."   
  


Duo held up the orb and asked, "Do you have any idea what this is?"   
  


"No," was Heero's reply. Duo had almost forgot that Heero got all of his information out in the barest minimal words that he could. Heero took the orb and studied it. He said, "Looks like a fuel cell almost."   
  


"Its organic," Duo told him as Heero studied the orb. It cast a pink glow on the pilot's face as he looked at it.   
  


Heero shrugged and handed it back to him. He said, "It could be some sort of weapon."   
  


Duo shook his head and replied, "I don't think so. I ran it in Deathscythe HELL's scanners and all it picked up was that this thing is made up of mainly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, with trace calcium, magniusm, and iron."   
  
  
  


"Organic," Heero said looking at it. He said, "I wanna take a look at this thing in HELL's scanners too. Maybe you missed something."   
  


"Ouch," Duo said as he and Heero walked out to the hanger.   
  


Within moments, both pilots were situated so they could both look at Deathscythe HELL's scanners. Duo looked down at it as he began to run the diagnostics on it. Heero watched with his usual cold intensity as the scanners started to trace the orb.   
  


Suddenly, the orb started to glow a bright pink. It flared up, engulfing Deathscythe HELL in a brilliant pink glow. It was warm and tingling, and Duo didn't have a hell's chance to know what was going on.   
  


Heero asked, "What the hell's happening?" Duo wasn't the only pilot who cursed out of the group, thank goodness. He looked around to see all of Deathscythe's systems spark to life, including the weapons' systems. The buster shield and the double-bladed scythe sprang to life in a bright, hot rush of energy.   
  


Suddenly, Duo was pushed into the seat, at the consoles as the harness buckled at its own accord. Duo shouted, "What the hell?"   
  


Heero started to pull on the harness, asking, "What the hell did you do, Duo?"   
  


"Nothing, it's that _thing,_" Duo shouted as he pointed at the orb.   
  


****** 

Heero watched as complete chaos insured. Duo shouted, "Take that damn thing out!" Heero grabbed the glowing pink orb and held it in his hand. The thing felt like a fever, hot to the touch, but not burning so. He felt the energy pulsing in it.   
  


He reached over and grabbed the harness, ready to rip it off with is superhuman strength. Duo looked at him with narrowed violet eyes. He smirked and said, "Not today, buddy." Then, Duo kicked him.   
  


Normally, even though Duo was strong for an average teenager, the blow would have mildly affected Heero. Today though, Heero was in an awkward position holding the orb and trying to pull Duo out of the harness. He tumbled out of Deathscythe HELL as the door to the cockpit started to close.   
  


Heero reached out and grabbed the catwalk as Deathscythe HELL began to glow a dark crimson. In a flash of dark red light, it was gone. The orb in his hands cooled off and dimmed. Heero looked down at it as he jumped gracefully off the catwalk.   
  


With a grunt, he ran back into the office, right to Hilde. The young woman asked, fear evident in her huge eyes, "What happened to Duo?"   
  


"I don't know," Heero answered as he raced to the records room to find Duo's computer.   
  


****** 

Deathscythe HELL stopped glowing. Duo awakened, not even realizing that he had passed out. His graceful fingers raced over the consoles to give him a visual. He looked around. He definitely wasn't in the hanger any more. "Okay, I'm definitely not in the hanger," Duo grumbled.   
  


Actually, he was in the middle of a seriously out numbered battle with mobile suits that he had never seen before.   
  


He looked around to see hundreds of floating suits coming at the other group which reminded Duo of Samurai Warriors. One beige suit stood out from the rest, a red cape resting on its shoulders as it sliced into the other suits with a huge broad sword looking thingie. Rain poured on the battle field, soaking it.   
  


He had one question, only one question. He asked, "What the hell is going on?"   
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

_**Disclaimer: **_We do not own _Gundam Wing _or _Escaflowne._ So, don't sue us because we are both broke and have no money. Just homicidal tendencies. :l   
  


**_Author's Notes: _**Welcome back Spidey fans ...er nevermind. Here goes part three of the ongoing EscaGundam madness.   
  


**_EscaGundam : Enter God of Death_**

**By: BatBarnes**   
  


The rain poured hard on Escaflowne's white Ispano armor, coating it with a layer of misery. It's pilot was in the same state. How can we win? HOW?! Van Fanel raised his sword and brought it down on another Samurai. It was then he finally noticed the collum of white light. Oh nowhat did I do "Hitome?" asked Van quietly. He soon saw to his horror that it was NOT Hitome.   
  


When the tunnel of light raised, there stood and incredible guymelef. It was even taller than Esceflowne and was nearly all black. Van's eyes widened at the sight. Is that a demon?? The guymelef stood silent as if surveying the situation. If it was my will that this beast be dropped here, than it must be on our side. But if I am wrong   
  


"Attention!! Warriors of Fanelia are NOT I repeat NOT to attack the demon guymelef until attacked upon by it!!" yelled Van into his mic.   
  


"I agree, Van," called Allen. "If it was brought by the necklace, then it was your strong will that made it so."   
  


Van agreed, but cursed himself for losing his head. Allen would not have done such a thing. Van found himself constantly comparing himself to Allen. It was an annoying habit, but one he could not rid himself of. ENOUGH! My people need me!!   
  


Van noticed several Samurai going after the new guymelef, and pursued them. Van noticed that the armor still did not move, but he swore he saw the green eye glow. He used the sword to deflect an attack from the Samurai to the new armor and grabbed its head with Escaflowne's hand. He crushed the head compartment and lowered his hand to continue to rip the Samurai in half.   
  


The other Samurai had taken its attention off of the new suit and aimed it's spread launcher at Van. He saw it fire and knew it was too late to block it. He gritted his teeth, for he knew Escaflowne's pain was his pain also. He waited for the strike, but it never came. He heard a loud crash and saw the Samurai's arm on the ground, flaring up. He looked up to see the new armor with a double scythe of green fire.   
  


The new guymelef soon went on to attack other Samurai, while leaving Van's troops alone. Van gave a momentary sigh of relief and procedded to deal death himself. With the help of the new guymelef, the Zaibach were thrown off-guard and soon retreated to regroup. Soon a bloody Van was looking with awe at a guymelef that could fly with a great flame on its back. 

*-* 

Van crawled out of Esceflowne very slowly. He was as battered as his guymelef. This was the price to pay for operating the Ispano armor. As Van finally got to the floor of the hanger, he was instantly jumped upon by a familiar friend. He first gasped in pain, and then held it in, as to not show weakness.   
  


"Lord VAN!! Are you hurt?? I'll show those guys!! I will!" yelled Merle. She got off of him and scampered to the medic and began to yell at him. Several of the men were laughing, but not in a disrespectful way. They all knew of Van's little "sister." Merle was the last bit of family left to Van, and he was happy to have her around. Even if it did mean that his chest was now on fire.   
  


When the medic had bandaged Van up, he went to get Allen. They had a guest to greet. Van approached the Schezard and gazed upon the gray guymelef. There were fewer nicks in its armor as Escaflowne. Van cringed. Every time they went out Allen always was the better pilot. Van swore that would change very soon. He greeted Allen and took the normal criticism form his teacher. They then went out to find the mysterious guymelef's pilot.   
  


*-*   
  


The guymelef was sitting in a resting pose with its arm under its chest. A door opened to reveal a kid about the same age as Van. Van and Allen looked at each other in surprised and then slowly approached the armor. Van took another step closer as the young pilot noticed him. Van looked at the pilot, noticing his long braided hair and eyes that betrayed far more than the pilot realized. The pilot jumped down to meet with Van.   
  


"Greeting, stranger. I am Van Fanel, the king of Fanelia, which is the nation you just helped to save. We are in your debt." Van's voice was kept at a monotone voice as to not imply friendship or ill will. Van then offered his gloved hand to the boy.   
  


"The name's Duo, Duo Maxwell, nice to meet 'ya." Stated the young pilot, carefully taking Van's offered hand. "Now that we are all friendly like, why don't you tell me why the Hell I am here!" Van was taken back by the boy's candor. He had a strange accent and was not the most 'cultured' boy Van had ever met either. Allen was about to say something, but Van stopoed him.   
  


"I expect you are confused. I shall explain everything when we dine tonight. Meanwhile, you may store your guymelef in our hanger, and I'll have a room made for you." Van saw some confusion on the boy's eyes.   
  


"Guy Meelf?? What the Hell is that?" Van motioned towards the incredible armor. "Oh, you mean my Gundam. I guess I haven't formally introduced you two yet. Van Fanel, meet Deathscythe HELL. And listen, I don't want anybody around my suit, so I'll just keep it where I can see it, OK?" The boy had his finger in Van's face. Allen was beginning to steam. "So when do we eat??!"   
  


*-* 

Van, Allen, and the other nobles watched in silent horror as Duo consumed everything he could. He did not use utensils, and he had his feet up on the table, trying to flirt with the maids. Van looked at Allen, who only shook his head slowly. Van told Duo of Hitome's necklace and how it bended fate, and that was why he was here. Van could see Duo did not really believe him and was just playing along. He did not care if the boy believed him, but wished the necklace would have sent somebody else. Van could see Hitome laughing at him.   
  


Van showed Duo the necklace and the boy suddenly got very serious. The entire table became quite as Duo looked at the shard of stone. He quickly reached in his pocket, which caused the guards to reach for their swords. Duo looked around and slowly brought out an energist.   
  


"Can you tell me what this is?" Duo asked. Van was taken back by the boy's sudden change in emotion. He regained his composure and took the energist. There was nothing strange about it. Van wondered why a pilot of a guymelef would wonder what an energist was. Surely the boy had to know this was the same type of stone that powered his Deathscythe.   
  


"This, of course, is an energist. You don't know what an energist is? This is what allows Deathscythe, as well as all guymelefs, to operate." Van stated, a bit more arrogant than he wanted to, but what did it matter? He looked over to Allen, who was also suspicious of a pilot that knew nothing of his suit. Van began to wonder if Duo really owned the Deathscythe.   
  


"Huh? My suit sure as Hell doesn't run on ROCKS! My suit uses a nuclear reactor to power it. See, when a U-237 atom is split, it releases a bunch of energy. My suit uses this energy to power its systems, like the target track and gyrosystemuh oh." Duo trailed off as he saw everyone staring at him in either confusion or contempt. Van didn't know what to believe. "I can prove it" Duo offered.   
  


"That might be best," said Van. He had his doubts about this boy.   
  


*-*   
  


Van looked in Deathscythe HELL's cockpit and was amazed. There were no gears, no levers, or even a single bolt. The cockpit was dark and cold with glass window like panels surrounding the pilot. Duo let Van sit in the cockpit, and Van saw that this was not a thing Duo liked to do. Duo hit a few small uprisings in the front panel, and the Deathscythe began to hum. The windows lit up with strange writing covering them. Van stared in awe as a picture of the Deathscythe was shown before him with every section moving from red to green. Then most of the writing disappeared and was replaced with a view of the outside.   
  


Van noticed Duo staring at him intently, and Van snapped out of his trance. "I am sorry I doubted you, Duo. This armor is incredible! There is no restriction to your view, nor is there any complicated way if walking!" Van realized he was acting like a child, and saw that Duo had noticed it also. He felt his face grow warm in embarrassment. He dismounted the Deathscythe and hopped to the ground. 

Van then showed Duo Escaflowne. "I am sorry, but you cannot get inside, it would mean your death." Van said.   
  


"Kinda touchy, aren't ya. I let you in mine." Duo had a hurt look on his big eyes. Van smiled back at him, and Duo looked confused.   
  


"It is not my will that causes this, Duo. It is the bond between my guymelef and me. It would send an electric jolt through you that would kill you instantly." Van said. Duo had a look of horror in his eyes and jumped off of Escaflowne.   
  


"How does it 'know' you? I mean, there isn't any equipment in there that could detect your DNA or anything?" Duo asked.   
  


"It just does. There is no equipment involved. The bond between my blood in the energist and the energist itself is all it needs to know that I am it's pilot." Answered Van.   
  
  
  
  
  


"But isn't an energist just a dragons heart, like you told me earlier? How does putting your blood in a dead animal's heart create a power source?" Van realized that this boy must come from somewhere that is very different than Gaea.   
  


"The spirit of my body bound with this energist creates a flow of energy. If I die, then the flow will stop because my spirit will leave this world." Van said. He looked at Duo to find the boy clueless.   
  


"Man, your world is REALLY fucked up. No offence." Duo finally managed. Van couldn't hold his laughter in. Duo laughed, too. Van decided he did like the pilot after all   
  


*-* 


	4. Default Chapter Title

_**Disclaimer: **_We do not own _Gundam Wing _or _Escaflowne._ So, don't sue us because we are both broke and have no money. Just homicidal tendencies. :l   
  


**_Author's Notes: _**Um, I actually don't have anything to say right now. That's usual for me. Oh, yes, I would like to thank Lee, my co-author, A.K.A. BatBarnes, for wanting to write this with me, and Marce just because I always thank her. To Bessana, who, along with myself and Marce, is extremely angry that Fox pulled Escaflone off the air. Those limey bastards!   
  


**_Not Titled Yet_**

**_By: Elf_**   
  


The rain poured hard on the roof of the palace. The young girl ran as fast as her legs could carry her. _If I slow down, they'll catch me, _she thought as another wave of adrialine rushed through her body. They were gaining on her, the men in dark shrouds.   
  


She was taken once before and she wasn't about to let herself be taken again. She had so much to live for. Her brother had lost her once, and she wasn't about to let herself get lost again. She knew what they could do to her, and that was, perhaps, the greatest violation of all.   
  


She didn't want to become a killer again. So, she kept running.   
  


She ran out on the battlements, rain plastering her hair into her eyes as she ran. Her heart was racing in her chest. It felt as if it was going to burst at any moment. Mud soon coated her bear feet as she ran. She looked back. They were still coming after her.   
  


She cried out, "Millerna! Millerna! Help, please! Anyone, help!" She looked up and saw Millerna with her golden hair flaring about her as she looked down at the young woman and her pursuers.   
  


Millerna shouted, "No, I'm coming!" It was too late.   
  


Her ankle twisted. Her leg was knocked off kilter as she crashed face first into the mud. The wind was knocked out of her. She couldn't breathe.   
  


She could hear Millerna's shrill voice screaming as strong hands gripped at her shoulders and waist. She was jerked out of the mud. A hand reached out and caressed the scar on her face. She looked up in terror, her heart racing.   
  


She cried out, "No, leave me alone! Don't take me there again!"   
  


She was lifted off the ground and a heavy blanket was wrapped around her whole body like a burial shroud. She cried out at the chlosterphobic quarters as she scratched at the cloth with slender fingers. A voice said, "You're coming with us."   
  


The last thing she remembered before she passed out was Millerna's screaming. 

******_****_

Myria Barton stood in the darkened room of the new headquarters of the Zaibach Empire. Dilandau, the head Dragon Slayer, stood beside her, a cunning smile on his handsome features. She flexed her fingers against the soft folds of the tunic she was wearing. She would have traded half of their inventory of guymelefs for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.   
  


Dilandau said, "Any time now. Van will be mine." She studied him, his white hair, his purple eyes and the scar that cut across the right side of his features. He chuckled as he stroked his cheek. Myria swallowed slowly. She had a feeling that something was not right.   
  


Dilandau was just a soldier, a natural leader, true, but simply a solder, Myria was a sorceress. She had the Gift for magic, as Dornkirk had approached her so long ago.   
  


She had everything a girl could ask for. A high IQ, excellent marks in the Alliance Academy, top-ranking student of her class, a natural ability for war tactics and piloting, beauty. She had everything, but there was something that brought her world crashing down on her ears.   
  


First, she was dyslexic and second, she was a girl.   
  


She had wanted to become a mobile suit pilot and work her way up through the ranks of OZ, but she had severely failed because of a stupid, easily correctable vision problem. Deikem Barton, that bastard, had disowned her to an existent to work on that brat, Mariama.   
  


All that had changed during the course of the Gundams. She had followed up on them, tempted to contact Treize Kushrenada and tell him that Deikem Barton headed up Project: Meteor. Then, an ancient wizard that looked like Leonardo da Vinci had come up to her, promising that she had great power.   
  


Having no where to turn, Myria went with him. She had no idea that she would be transported to a mystical world called Gaea. Then, she was taught in the black arts. Or what she would consider the black arts.   
  


Now, they were planning another attack on Fanelia, trying to get Escaflowne in their grasps. Dilandau was grinning in his Mad Hatter way as he glanced over at her. He said, "Well, Myria, you're gonna see Escaflowne first hand."   
  


She sighed and asked, "What's so important about this damn mobile suit anyway?"   
  


"They're guymelefs, mobile suits are from your world," Dilandau pointed out with a keen leer.   
  


She glared at him and turned away. "Lord Dilandau! Lord Dilandau!" A familiar voice cried out as they turned to see one of Dilandau's most trusted Dragon Slayers, Gregori, run into the hall.   
  


"What is it, Gregori?" Dilandau asked him, looking over the young man. All the Dragon Slayers were young, in their teens, just like the Gundam pilots and herself she realized. She waited for the young man's answer.   
  


Gregori answered, panting, "We attacked Fanelia, just as ordered, sir, but there was this mysterious guymelef that appeared out of no where and destroyed a good number of our men, sir!"   
  


"What sort of guymelef?" Dilandau asked him.   
  


Gregori's dark grey eyes widened in fear as he answered, "A demon. It was Death himself."   
  


A faint smile played at Myria's features. She asked, "Did it have a double bladed scythe made out of green fire?"   
  


Gregori nodded and answered, "Yes, it did, how did you know that?"   
  


"And bat wings?" Myria asked, excitedly.   
  


"Yes, and it could fly," Gregori told her.   
  


Myria grinned and tossed her long hair. She answered, "Well, well, looks like the God of Death made it here after all."   
  


****** 

The God of Death was needed again, to help defend some kingdom on some other world that was like walking into a J.R Tolken novel. Duo sighed as he perched himself on the balcony of his bedroom. It was a pretty nice bedroom, nicer than all the ones that he had previously slept in.   
  


He looked up at the sky and gasped. There was the moon, and Earth. He would recognize Earth anywhere. He had battled enough around it and flown to it enough times to know what the third planet in the Solar System looked like.   
  


He just looked up at it, gazing at the Earth and the moon, side by side. He swallowed as he stood up on the railing and simply looked. He drawled, "Yep, definitely not in the hanger any more."   
  


He sat back down on the railing, his legs swinging precariously off the side, just looking up at the sky. "This room has the best view of the mystic moon," Van's voice said from behind him.   
  


Duo turned to look at the young king then back at the sky. He said, "That's Earth." He pointed at it. Van looked up at it with a wistful look in his sherry colored eyes as he leaned against the railing beside Duo.   
  


Van asked, "Is that where you're from?" He gestured to Earth with his hand. Duo looked up at the huge blue planet. The moon and Earth, together that close looked strange to the pilot.   
  


Duo didn't exactly know how to answer him. How would he explain to a young king about space colonies and such? It wasn't that he didn't trust Van, actually he did trust Van very much. Van seemed to be one of those people who would give his word and keep it.   
  


A quality too rare in this day and age. Duo maybe Death, but he was trustworthy. _I may run and hide, but I'll never tell a lie, _Duo thought as he looked up at the sky. He pointed to between the moon and Earth. He said, "I live there."   
  


"There is nothing there except stars," Van said, peering up at the sky.   
  


Duo grinned and said, "Where I come from, the moon looks like a graveyard. Its sorta spooky."   
  


Van asked, "Do you need anything else?"   
  


Duo shook his head and answered, "Naw, I'm good." Van turned to leave. Duo told him, "Hey, Van." Van turned around to look at him. Duo grinned and told him, "Any help you need, you've got it. I'll help your kingdom anyway I can."   
  


Van smiled and replied, "Thank you very much, Duo."   
  


Duo replied, "Well, I've gotta do something. I can't just sit here when I can do something why your kingdom is in danger. You brought me here for a reason."   
  


Van nodded, shaking his black hair from his eyes. He said, "Good night, Duo." With that, Van turned away.   
  


_The God of Death is back from Hell, _Duo thought with a strange sort of home coming as he looked up at the sky. He wondered what Hilde and Heero were doing.   
  


****** 

Heero stared at the laptop's screen. There was no trace of Duo or Deathscythe HELL. Hilde came out to the hanger and handed Heero a steaming cup of coffee. He took it from her with a nod as he continued to work. He waited for her to leave. She didn't.   
  


She asked, "Do you have any idea what could have happened to Duo?"   
  


"No," Heero answered sharply. Hilde's eyes widened as she stepped back from him.   
  


She said, "Fine, I'll leave you alone." With that, she turned on her heel and began to leave.   
  


Heero grunted before he said, "If there is anyway possible, I _will _bring Duo back. But, I need time to find out what happened to him."   
  


Hilde turned to face him with a slight smile on her pixie features. She said, "Thank you, Heero." He only grunted in reply as he continued to work on the laptop.   
  
  
  


****** 

Duo woke up. Groggy and unresponsive without his first jolt of caffeine. He looked around the room. Huge canopy bed, huge clothes press, _Whoa, a clothes press, _a fancy vanity, all the trimmings that he was pretty much not use to.   
  


"Master Duo! Master Duo!" the feline voice called out from the hall, right outside of his door.   
  


"What?" Duo snapped, not the best person to be awake yet.   
  


"Master Duo, Lord Van told me to ask you if you wanted breakfast or not," the girl shouted in a high-pitched voice. Duo winched and looked at the door. She asked, "Can I come in?"   
  


Before Duo could answer, a cat-girl bounced into the room. She had shoulder length strawberry blond hair, cat ears, and a tail. Her huge blue eyes blinked as she looked him over. She leapt over to the bed in one graceful leap, just like a house cat. She crouched on the bed, inches away from him, watching him.   
  


"The hell?" Duo asked as he looked at her, backing away from her.   
  


She reached out and touched the silver crucifix he always wore. Automatically, he jerked it away from her, wishing that he hadn't taken off his shirt before going to bed last night. She asked, "What's that?"   
  


"It's a cross," Duo snapped. The cross was always a touchy subject to him, but he never took it off. Father Maxwell had given it to him, saying, _May your faith be as bright as the silver of this cross._ Duo knew that his faith was definitely not as bright as the cross. He had most of his faith a long time ago in all things except Death.   
  


The cat-girl asked, "What's a cross?"   
  


Duo scrambled out of the bed and slipped into his black shirt and priest collar. He answered, "It's a long story, Kitty."   
  


"My name's Merle," she replied in her chirpy, high voice as she scrambled off the bed, looking up at him with her wide, blue eyes.   
  


"Um, mine's Duo Maxwell," he told her uneasily, holding out his hand to shake. She shook his hand. He was surprised to find that her hand was furry.   
  


She bounced away and said, "I know. The whole kingdom is talking about you."   
  


Duo grinned. This is what he liked, attention. He leaned against the vanity and asked, "Well, what exactly are they saying?"   
  


Merle rolled her blue eyes and answered, "I dunno. They're talking about how some demon guymelef came from the sky and helped turn the battle with the Zaibach solders yesterday." She grinned teasingly and said, "And how he flirted with the maids during dinner and ate almost all the food in the castle."   
  


Duo was quickly offended by that. He said, "Hey, I didn't eat that much."   
  


"You did, everyone was afraid to get near you because they were afraid that you'd eat their fingers," Merle told him with a smile.   
  


Duo rolled his eyes as he walked out of the room. He said, "I need coffee."   
  


"What's coffee?" Merle asked as she followed him out of the room.   
  


Duo turned to her and asked, in disbelief, "_What?_ Are you trying to tell me that there's no damn coffee?" They continued to walk down the hall. He had no idea where they were going, but the kitty did. She gave him a strange look as they walked.   
  


She answered, "I've never heard of coffee before."   
  


"No," Duo groaned in despair. As they walked down the hall, they passed the knight guy who reminded Duo of Zechs Marquess, the infamous OZ pilot and Heero's greatest adversary. He had long blond hair, not that pale, platinum blond that Zechs had, but a true golden blond, and blue eyes. _The product of Aryan breeding_, Duo thought as he looked the handsome knight over.   
  


Merle said, "Hey Allen."   
  


"Good morning, Merle," Allen said, then looked over at Duo. Duo grinned at the veiled look of disgust that the knight gave him. Duo was use to it, and, hell, he welcomed that look. He could use it to his advantage. He was more than just some goof-off with an offbeat sense of humor.   
  


"Good morning, Duo," Allen said, swallowing.   
  


Duo replied, "Hey, Allen. How are you?"   
  


"Fine, and you?" Allen asked politely.   
  


Duo nodded and answered, "Good, a little hungry."   
  


Merle's eyes widened as she stepped away. Her once animate tail had stopped moving and hung limply down her body. Allen said, "Breakfast is being served, if you want to go eat."   
  


"Where are you going?" Merle asked him, twirling a strand of her pink hair around her finger.   
  


Allen smiled and bowed at her. Duo thought, _Damn, he's almost as bad of a flirt as I am. And that's pretty damn bad._ He answered, "To the battlements to train. If King Van asks where I am at, you can tell him that."   
  


"I'll think I'll go with you," a familiar voice said behind him. Duo turned around to see the familiar head of unruly black hair behind them. He grinned at Van.   
  


He said, "Good morning."   
  


"How did you sleep, Duo?" Van asked him.   
  


"Great," he answered truthfully. Sensing that this would be a good time to leave, Duo waved and turned to get something to eat.   
  


_******_

Duo walked to the battlements, which was an open area with a bunch of knight guys training. He was still having trouble believing this Dungeons and Dragons type world. He saw Van and Allan dulling, for sheer practice. Curious, he watched.   
  


Both of their stances would have made Wufei green with envy as they prepared to attack eachother again. Van moved first, graceful and fluidly. Allen's blade blocked Van's attack with trouble. Each moment got more aggressive, more intense. He walked closer to watch.   
  


"Allen! Please! Allen!" A female voice called out from behind them. She sounded rushed, panicked, afraid, and tired. Duo turned around to see a young woman running to them.   
  


Allen walked over to the girl and she tumbled into his arms. She was beautiful, Duo realized, looking at her. She had long, wavy blond hair tied back from her face with a pink ribbon, making her look girlish and cute. She looked at them with wide, purple eyes before turning her attention back to the knight holding her.   
  


Allen asked, "Millerna, what is it?"   
  


She answered, "Your sister, she's been taken." With that, she fainted right in the knight's arms. Duo looked around, highly puzzled, wondering what the hell was going on now.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: We do not own Gundam Wing or Escaflowne. So, don't sue us because we are both broke and have no money. Just homicidal tendencies. :l   
  


Author's Notes: Dillandeu scares me. As I am Male, his little DragonSlayer boys scare the bejesus outta me. Oh and in case you're wondering, an EMP pulse destroys electronic circuitry. One is created by detonating a nuke high in the atmosphere.   
  


**_EscaGundam Part 5 : Trial By Fire_**

**_By: BatBarnes_**   
  


Van Fanel found himself in a mass of confusion. Allen handed Millerna to a maid and ran off. Van was going to do the same, but noticed a very confused Duo Maxwell. He looked lost, but as if he wanted to do something. I wonder if he is as good with a sword as he is with a guymelef? "Duo, would you come here, please?"   
  


"Hey Van, what's going on here??" Duo asked. Van handed him a flat practice sword. Duo took the sword uneasily and looked back at Van's deep expression.   
  


"There will soon be a great conflict. There is noting I can do to stop this. If Allen's sister has really been taken, then we will soon see an enemy of great threat. He will attack without mercy and will do so in an expert manner. I need to see how well your sword arm is." Van stated grimly. He brought his sword in front of his face and angled it down towards Duo. "Hit my sword to begin the duel."   
  


Duo licked his chops and brought up his sword. He held it with a death grip, and Van began to worry. Duo hit Van's sword and then came down with a sloppy overhead attack. Van deflected it and brought the hilt of his sword into Duo's jaw. Duo went down instantly. Van sighed with a deep breath and walked over to help up the fallen pilot. This will not be easy.   
  


Van offered his hand only to find Duo holding an odd piece of metal. It was black and had a hole in the front of it. "Bang! I win!!" Duo chirped. Van looked at him with confusion and concern for his sanity.   
  


"What can you mean? You have no sword, only an odd shard of metal. Does this metal have mager SCIENTIFIC properties about it?" Van asked. He then helped Duo up and the boy held up the metal object. He then pointed it at an urn across the room. There was an incredible noise and fire erupted from the metal weapon. The urn burst into thousands of pieces. 

Van looked in horror at the boy. "What in Atlantis' name IS that. It appeared to act like a cannon, but is much too small!" Van had sweat on his forehead. Duo raised a finger and opened his mouth to answer, but the room swarmed with guards. They positioned themselves in a formation that surrounded Duo. "Stand down! He meant no harm to me. He was merely showing me a new weapon of his."   
  


The guards cleared out, each giving Duo the look of death. Van was surprised to see the boy accept the look with a cheerful expression. This boy is strong. He will be invaluable to our efforts. "I appreciate your showing me your hand-cannon, but in the future, please refrain from destroying priceless artifacts. That urn was from the original king of Fanelia." Van stated, not facing Duo, whose face went red.   
  


*-*   
  


Van found Allen in the hanger, preparing his guymelef for action. He had a determined look on his face that told Van that Allen was at war with himself. Van shook his head, knowing it would be hard to deal with a kidnapped loved one. Van walked up to the Schezard and rested against it. "Allen, I know how you must feelbut I cannot allow you to leave on a futile quest."   
  


Allen stopped rotating the left arm's gear and turned to face Van. He sighed deeply. "My Lord I was not going to go after her. I know that would be a foolish jester that would return no reward. However, you know as well as I that there is a great storm coming." Allen's stare penetrated Van's cool exterior to find the secret dread in his heart. He then returned to working on his guymelef.   
  


"Dillandeu" the voice of Van echoed throughout the room.   
  


*-*   
  


Dillandeu looked at Myria with his normal contempt. He knew that she was the head of Zaibach now, but still He did not need her stupid calculations and wit. He wanted only one thing. "Vannn, you just wait. I will have your head on my wall, yet."   
  


"A bit grotesque, but I like it." Myria raised an eyebrow at him. Dillandeu returned it with a large sneer. "Anyway, we'll need a way to immobilize the Deathscythe HELL. Our suits are no match for the destructive power of that monster, but maybe we can get around that. Since we don't have any nuclear weapons, I don't know of any way to create an EMP pulse."   
  


"ENOUGH OF YOUR IDIOCY! I am going to attack Fanelia with or without your support!" Dillandeu stormed out of the room flinging his cape as he went.   
  


"Perfect," was all Dillandeu heard as he left. He wondered for half a second why she had sounded so damned pleased with herself.   
  


*-*   
  


"You wouldn't know what frequency your Guildemorphs transmit on would you?" asked Duo, who was stuck upside down in his cockpit. Van looked up from Escaflowne's gear exchange and wondered what he was talking about.   
  


"They are Guymelefs. And No, I'm not really sure what you are talking about. Maybe the mechanics can help you. All I know is that I talk and the others can hear me." Van himself marveled that they knew so little about the technology they used. It all came from Zaibach's former ruler, but he failed to share their secrets with anyone. Now, all they could do is copy it, but never understand it.   
  


"That's OK, just start blabbin in the thing and I can pick 'er up with the scanner." Called Duo. Van started to recite the code of the Fanelia knights. Duo called back that he had got it, but Van did not stop. He went through the entire code and then sat silent for a moment. He opened his eyes to see Duo starting at him.   
  


"My apologies, but one does not start the code without stopping." Van returned Duo's stare, seeing pain behind them. "What's wrong, did I say something to offend you, Duo?"   
  


"Naw, I was just thinking. If things had gone a little different when I was young, I might have been more like you. Your honor and courage, I gotta say that I'm impressed by them." Duo replied. He was sitting on the exit hatch of the Deathscythe Hell with his head between his knees. His odd hat was down close to his eyes.   
  


"You would vanquish the God of Death to create another Van? I think that to be most foolish. Who one is has to be determined by what they have accomplished, both good and bad. If you wish to be someone else, you do nothing but dishonor yourself. Duo Maxwell saved Fanelia from destruction, where I once failed." With that Van closed up Escaflowne's cockpit and swung to the ground. "Get some sleep, young hero." Van walked out of the hanger leaving a stunned Duo in his wake.   
  


*-*   
  


It came that night. Van had expected the attack, but it still griped his heart with an icy hand. A bloody messenger from Asturia stammered his way in the door of the main chamber and told Van of an approaching guymelef force lead by a distinctly red Samurai. He then died at Van's feet. Van gritted his teeth and quenched his fist. "Allen, prepare the suits, and wake up Duo. Death has returned to Fanelia."   
  


Van ran to the hanger, seeing thousands of troops prepare for battle. He got to Escaflowne as the ground crew was untying it from its spot on in the great room. He then hopped into the chair and strapped himself in. He closed the cockpit and let the suit tighten around him. He then saw an usually serious Duo run to the great black suit across from Van's. He gave Van a thumbs up, and Van hoped that was a good sign.   
  


"There's undetermined damage to the outer wall! It appears that the suits are cloaked!!" called a young soldier from a lookout tower. The tower was then engulfed in fire. Van's worst fear had been realized, but he let his fear go and concentrated on finding the suits. He had learned long ago that with the help of his bond to Escaflowne, he could see the suits.   
  


"I've got them, it looks like four of those Ninja suits. I can see them with the infrared scope." Duo's voice came over Van's earpiece exceptionally clear. "Here comes the God of Death!!" Van saw the wings of Deathscythe HELL open and the rear of it ignite into a blue fire. Van used his own ability to look at the suits. But, he's not there   
  


"DUO!! LOOK OUT!! IT'S A TRAP!!" Van yelled over the mic. He put Escaflowne into a dead run for the wall. He saw the HELL land and run it's great green scythe into the head of one of the suits. It pointed its shield at another one, and to Van's astonishment, it flew off of it's arm to skewer another suit. The shield spun as it impacted and sent Samurai armor flying.   
  


"Don't worry Van, I got it covered." Duo's voiced chirped over the radio. Then, just as Van had expected, dual columns of fire erupted from the forest beyond. The fire engulfed both the HELL and two remaining suits. Van was up to the wall by now, and he jammed his sword into the ground and used it to jump over the wall. He angled himself away from the fire.   
  


"Vannnnnnn!!" a chilling voiced called out. Van paid no attention and charged the forest. He jumped into the air and brought down his sword. It was deflected by a Samurai flanking Dillandeu. Van used the remaining force of his descent to drive Escaflowne's knee into the Samurai's energist. The suit fell to the ground, lifless. Van brought up his sword to bear on the dual flame Samurai.   
  


"Duo!! Are you alright? Report!!" Van yelled in the mic. He still had his complete concentration on the demon in front of him. He realized he couldn't attack to kill, due to the fact that Allen's sister was trapped inside a madman's mind. Dillandeu swayed back and forth, taunting Van with his Samurai.   
  


"Oh, I'm sorry Van. Did I kill ANOTHER one of your friends? I guess it sure doesn't pay to befriend a curse like you!" Dillandeu called out. He then started laughing hysterically, and Van felt the rage inside of him start to break free. He brought up his sword by his shouder and pointed it directly at the red Samurai. When he was about to lose control and rip through the heart of the demon, he saw another demon. Out of the great flames that had engulfed Duo walked the Deathscythe Hell. It had its wings fully extended and the only feature that could be made out was its pulsing green eyes that thirsted for vengeance.   
  


"H-HowAre you truly a D..Demon??" Dillandeu's voice had lost all it's confidence and was replaced with horror. The Deathscythe continued to approach slowly. Its scythe reignited and it held it up to bare on the red guymelef. Van saw that Duo meant to rip the suit apart, and that he had to stop him.   
  


"No Duo!! Don't kill him! That's Allen's sister in there!! Listen to me Dammit!!" Van yelled. He then saw the Deathscythe charge Dillandeu. Dillandeu tried to avoid the strike as hard as he could. The scythe ripped the arm off of the guymelef, and it fell to the ground. Van realized he had no choice. He ran at Duo with all his might. Duo raised the scythe high into the air and the green eyes of HELL looked down at the fallen Samurai. Dillandeu screamed as the scythe came hurtling down at him. Van and the Escaflowne hit the side of the HELL with all of its inertia and the scythe hit the ground a mere meter from the red suit. Both the Escaflowne and the Deathscythe HELL fell to the ground.   
  


Van looked over to see Dillandeu transform and take off into the night. He got his suit up and turned to see the Deathscythe HELL holding its scythe directly above Escaflowne's head. "Strike me down if you must, but I had to protect my people until the end. Even if she is now Dillandeu, Allen's sister is one of my people. Do as you will" Van threw down the sword of Escaflowne and waited. The great scythe of green sputtered and went out.   
  


"Yeah, whatever. I guess I lost it back there. Sorry Van." Duo's voice filled Van with relief.   
  


*-*   
  


The hanger was full of damaged guymelefs and injured soldiers. Allen had told him that they had lost 7 guymelefs and 50 footsoldiers. This was less than the Zaibach casualties, but Fanelia would not win a war of attrition. He looked at the Deathscythe HELL, which had little more than carbon scoring on it. Truly an amazing machine. It's pilot had been silent since they had returned. Allen had nearly punched him, and while others applauded his efforts, others looked at him with contempt.   
  


Van walked over to him, and started to say something, but was cut off. "We've got an injured civilian out here!!" called a scout. Van and Duo ran out to the field to find an injured girl. She was about Van's age and had staggering long blondish-red hair. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. Van caught her in his arms, noticing a gash in her mid-section. She looked up at him with piercing green eyes. Van's heart jumped into his throat.   
  


"I'm sorry to bother you, my lord. I was injured in the fighting outside Astruia. I beg you to take me into your kingdom." She said in a weak voice. Van could tell she was losing consciousness. He cleared the hair from her face.   
  


"Of course, my lady, but praytell, what is your name?" Van asked. She opened her eyes one last time.   
  


"Myria"she said as she fell into unconsciousness.   
  


_To Be Continued!_


End file.
